After spending the bulk of his rookie campaign on the Chicago Bears‘ practice squad, defensive lineman Jalen Harris is headed to Washington.
The Commanders poached Harris off Chicago’s practice squad on November 20, according to Washington’s official transaction wire.
After losing defensive end Efe Obada for an indefinite period of time, the Commanders needed to add some depth on their defensive line. Commanders DE James Smith-Williams has also been battling injuries, so Harris could see his first NFL action in the regular season, as he is now on Washington’s 53-man roster.
The Bears signed Harris as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Arizona. He had flashes during the preseason, and while he didn’t make Chicago’s roster, the team kept him on the PS.
Jalen Harris Is 3rd Bears Player to Get Poached Off Practice Squad in Recent Weeks
Travis Bell and Jalen Harris share the 8th #Bears sack of the game.
In 38 pass rush snaps during the preseason, Harris had 2.0 sacks, three hurries and two quarterback hits (stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus). The 6-foot-5, 257-pound rookie D-lineman clearly gained the interest of Commanders head coach Ron Rivera over his three preseason performances.
In college, Harris appeared in 56 games with the Wildcats. He accumulated 171 total tackles (26 for loss), 14.0 sacks, 11 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.
Harris has become the third player and second defensive lineman to get signed off the Bears’ practice squad in recent weeks. On October 31, the Atlanta Falcons signed defensive lineman Travis Bell.
A few weeks later, center Doug Kramer was poached off Chicago’s PS by the Arizona Cardinals. Kramer was later released by Arizona and re-signed by the Bears, though.
Former Commanders Edge Montez Sweat Giving Bears a Boost on D-Line After Recent Trade
Bears’ pass rush vs Lions per PFF:
Demarcus Walker — 5 pressures
Gervon Dexter — 4 pressures
Rasheem Green — 3 pressures
Yannick Ngakoue — 2 pressures
Jaquan Brisker/Justin Jones — 1 pressure each
Montez Sweat/Jack Sanborn — 1 sack
Chicago’s pass rush started off dreadfully stagnant this season, netting just 4.0 sacks over its first four games. Before the trade deadline, the Bears sent a 2024 second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Sweat.
So far, in three games with the Bears, he has seven hurries, three QB hits and 1.0 sacks, per PFF. His presence on the line has also freed up the likes of Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker and has given the secondary a boost in coverage, as well. Over the last two weeks, the Bears have 5.0 sacks and three interceptions.
“I just bring another guy ready to get after it,” Sweat said on November 16, via Sports Illustrated. “I like the guys that I’m on defense with. They get after it just as much as me. I’m just adding on.”
Sweat has had a sack in one of his three games as a Bear so far, but the team isn’t measuring his impact on statistics alone.
Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi told SI how much Sweat’s pressures have helped give the rest of Chicago’s ‘D’ a boost. Sweat’s presence has been “a big deal for our defensive backs and our linebackers, the guys in coverage, because that helps them out a lot because the quarterbacks feel that,” Borgonzi said, adding:
“Tez has been a huge impact for us, but also just him as a person. He’s just a positive guy. You see when the other guys got sacks, Tez was the most excited guy on the field. It’s been pretty unique to see the player. We knew the player was good but just the person, too.”
So, while the Bears may have lost another young pass rusher in Jalen Harris, the DEs on the roster have been looking solid of late.
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